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First Report on the Use of Gastropod Shells by Hermit Crabs from The The Pharma Innovation Journal 2019; 8(3): 22-30 ISSN (E): 2277- 7695 ISSN (P): 2349-8242 NAAS Rating: 5.03 First report on the use of gastropod shells by hermit TPI 2019; 8(3): 22-30 © 2019 TPI crabs from the eastern coast, India www.thepharmajournal.com Received: 11-01-2019 Accepted: 15-02-2019 Samir Sardar, Debojyoty Ghosh, Pradipta Kumar Ghosh, Koustav Samir Sardar Bhattacharjee and Koushik Pal Department of Zoology, Ramakrishna Mission Abstract Vivekananda Centenary College, The assemblage of different crab species in the shoreline ecotone region are potential indicators for Rahara, West Bengal, India maintaining structural and functional integrity of the coastal ecosystem. The hermit crabs among the Debojyoty Ghosh different crab species of this habitat is notable for understanding the intrinsic relationship of the crab Department of Zoology, West dependence on gastropod shells which is important to explain the shell use pattern in nature. Random Bengal State University, P.O. sampling of specimens was done from the intertidal zone of extended mud flats of Bakkhali and Malikapur, North 24 Parganas, Frazerganj of Indian Sundarban for a period of one year, which showed greater availability of one type of West Bengal, India gastropod shell Telescopium telescopium. Twenty one different types of gastropod shells were chosen by Clibnarius infraspinatus and Clibnarius padavensis as their microhabitat, among which later shows Pradipta Kumar Ghosh greater affinity for Telescopium shells. The statistical analysis showed that the crab weight and shell Postgraduate Department of weight are positively correlated at a significant level (p< 0.01). Present communication also suggests Zoology, Barasat Government preference of microhabitat selection by hermit crabs depends on various factors like, spatial distribution College, 10, K.N.C. Road, and availability of resources, durability of the shells, inner columellar space, coiling of shells and Barasat, North 24 Parganas, association of epibiotic covering of the shells (scallops and barnacles). West Bengal, India Keywords: Ecotone, gastropod shells, Indian Sundarban, microhabitat selection Koustav Bhattacharjee Postgraduate Department of Zoology, Barasat Government 1. Introduction College, 10, K.N.C. Road, Sandy beaches are the dynamic environment within which invertebrate crab diversity are Barasat, North 24 Parganas, maximum. Among all the crab species, the anomuran hermit crab is special for their West Bengal, India morphology and complex behavior of shell choice. Hermit crabs actively transport, recycle, [1] Koushik Pal and concentrate gastropod shells in this zone (Thompson et al., 1985) . After metamorphosis Department of Zoology, they opt for empty molluscan shells as their temporary refuge (microhabitat) for protecting University of Kalyani, Nadia, their soft vulnerable abdomen from erosion and predation (Vance, 1972; Angel, 2000) [2, 3], West Bengal, India desiccation (Taylor, 1981; Brodie, 1999) [4, 5] and osmotic stress (Shumway, 1978) [6]. A pioneer work on hermit crab shell selection behaviour started by Thompson (1910) [7] and continued till present time are indicative of the enormous importance of hermit crabs shell selection behavior which varies with different habitats, acting in different ways on each crab species (Bertness, 1981) [8], in different areas (Garcia & Mantelatto, 2000) [9]. The empty molluscan shells chosen are from gastropods (Reese, 1963; Hazlett and Provenzano, 1965; Harvey and Colasurdo, 1993; Brodie, 1999) [10, 11, 12, 5] and this selection in the natural habitat depends on various factors like availability of molluscan shells (Bollay, 1964; Reese, 1962; Vance, 1972a; Bach, Hazlett and Rittschof, 1976 and Kellog, 1976; Conover, 1978; Bertness, 1982; Pinheiro et al., 1993; Floeter et al., 2000; Turra and Leite, 2001; Sant’Anna et al., 2006) [13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23], predator presence (Rotjan et al., 2004) [24], hydrodynamics (Hahn, 1998) [25], dilution of sea water (Davenport et al., 1980) [26], chemical cues (Mesce, 1982; [27, 28] [29, Benoit et al., 1997) abrasion and extremes of temperature (Reese, 1969; Vance, 1972) 2] . In addition to these factors choices on specificity for shell types (Reese, 1962; Hazlett, 1978; Abrams 1978; Conover, 1978; Elwood, Mc. Clean and Webb, 1979; Bertness, 1980) [14, 30, 31, 18, 32, 33], crab growth rate (Wada et al., 1997) [34]; shell use history (Elwood et al., 1979; Turra [32, 35] [36] and Leite, 2003) and environmental threats (Bulinski, 2007) also makes the pattern of Correspondence shell selection a much more complicated process to understand this system. Shell species- Samir Sardar preference appears to be related to the angle of the columella of the shell with the substratum Department of Zoology, (ground) and the posture of the crab whilst inhabiting the shell was studied by Dowds and Ramakrishna Mission Elwood (1982) [37]. Fewer studies have investigated discrimination of gastropod shells based Vivekananda Centenary College, [18, 38, 39, 40] Rahara, West Bengal, India on shell condition (Conover 1978; McClintock 1985; Wilber 1989; 1990) . ~ 22 ~ The Pharma Innovation Journal In this case of shell discrimination, hermit crabs use their rich foraging ground for the hermit crabs. tactile cues to judge between intact shell and drilled shell (Pechenik and Lewis 2000) [41]. A close intricate relationship 2. Materials and Methods exists between hermit crabs and its’chosen gastropod shells 2.1 Study Area which directly influence the life history stages of the hermit The field study on hermit crabs and its’sampling for specimen crabs and its’ survivality. Hence studying this microhabitat collection was done on the extended beaches of Bakkhali and selection pattern is very important to understand the close knit Fraserganj of Namkhana island located in the district of South ecology of this crab species. 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India with latitude 21034/ N and Majority of the studies on hermit crab abundance and shell longitude 88015/ E. The sampling area of the intertidal zone of use/ choice was made on the western coast of India. the beach (Fig 1) covers a minimum width of about 90 meters Unfortunately, no such study was done from the eastern coast (Fraserganj area) to a varying width of 180- 240 mt. towards of India. So an attempt was made to study the species the estuary (Bakkhali mohona). The beach was extended abundance of hermit crabs and their shell utilization pattern nearly 1 km towards Fraserganj and 2 km towards estuary from a small coastal region of Sundarban Biosphere Reserve, from the entry point of Bakkhali beach during extreme low South 24 Parganas (West Bengal, India) where the beach is tide. enormously exposed during extreme low tide, facilitating a Fig 1: Map of the study area. 2.2 Methodology (HCHO) solution for laboratory analysis and identifications. The present work was conducted from January 2017 to Analysis on morphometry of both crabs and shells (Fig. 2) December 2017 (irrespective of seasons and months) during were done with the help of slide calipers and respective which different types of gatropod shells irrespective of size weights were taken by the help of electronic weigh balance and weight inhabited with hermit crabs (considered as chosen) (Keory 300). Taxonomic identification of gastropod shells and those shells which do not inhabit hermit crabs (considered was done following the classification of Vaught (1989) [42] as as unchosen) were randomly handpicked from the natural documented in Catalogue of marine mollusks- polyplacophora habitat of the intertidal zone of the sea shore. Specimen and gastropoda (Dey2016) [43]. Further taxonomic collection was effective only at the time when the beach was identification of hermit crabs upto the possible lower extensively exposed during low tide. After the collection of taxonomic category was done following the classification samples, gastropod shells both (chosen and unchosen) were scheme of Ajmal Khan and Natarajan, R. (1984) [44] and by stored within big plastic jars containing 4% formaldehyde the help of scientists of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), ~ 23 ~ The Pharma Innovation Journal Kolkata. The durability of different types of gastropod shells durability of the molluscan shells and two-tailed single t-test was also tested in the laboratory by acid digestion in 3(N) was performed to analyze the result. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) at room temperature to determine the Fig 2: Morphometric measurements of hermit crab and its shell 3. Results and Discussions Telescopium shells in abundance. But C. infraspinatus was A total of 2480 different types of gastropod shells were found to exist everywhere in the intertidal zone and their collected as samples and out of which 1230 gastropod shells distribution is much more influenced by the distribution of were unchosen. Among the rest, twenty one shell species empty gastropod shells. The shell use pattern as studied were identified. It has been observed that, only earlier in hermit crabs may vary and their coexistence may two species of hermit crabs, namely, Clibnarius padavensis attribute to shell (Grant and Ulmer, 1974; Floeter et al., 2000; (Fig 3a) and Clibnarius infraspinatus (Fig. 3b) were occupied Turra and Leite 2002; Oba et al., 2008) [46, 47, 48, 49]. Clibnarius in all the twenty one gastropod shells as their microhabitats. infraspinatus commonly known as orange striped hermit crab Alcock (1905) [45] reported these two species for the first time were moderate in number
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